Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

यश्च शत्रुं हृदि स्थाप्य शत्रूद्वर्तनसंभवम् । मलं धात्रीफलैः सार्धं मोहनं स करिष्यति

Transliteration

yaśca śatruṃ hṛdi sthāpya śatrūdvartanasaṃbhavam | malaṃ dhātrīphalaiḥ sārdhaṃ mohanaṃ sa kariṣyati

Translation

ومن ثبّت العدوَّ في قلبه (بقصدٍ مُركَّز)، واستعمل القذارةَ المتولّدة من «أُدْفَرْتَنَة» (دهنٍ أو مسحوقِ فرك) المتعلّقة بالعدو، مع ثمارِ «دهاتري» (آملاكي)، فإنه يُجري طقسَ «موهَنَة» (الإبهار وإيقاع الحيرة).

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• śatrum: enemy
• śatrum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• hṛdi: in the heart
• hṛdi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• sthāpya: having placed
• sthāpya: Kriya (क्रिया; पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था धातु) + ṇic (causative) → sthāpya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि प्रयोग; ‘स्थापयित्वा’ इत्यर्थः

• śatrūdvartanasaṃbhavam: arising from the enemy-rubbing (mixture)
• śatrūdvartanasaṃbhavam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śatru + udvartana + saṃbhava (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शत्रोः उद्वर्तनस्य सम्भवम् = arising from rubbing/unguent of the enemy)

• malam: dirt/impurity (paste)
• malam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• dhātrīphalaiḥ: with emblic myrobalan fruits (āmalaka)
• dhātrīphalaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhātrīphala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धात्र्याः फलानि)

• sārdham: together with
• sārdham: Sahartha (सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sārdham (अव्यय)
• Form: सह-अर्थक-अव्यय (adverb/preposition: ‘together with’)

• mohanam: bewitchment/enchantment
• mohanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mohana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्मपदं (enchanting substance/act)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• kariṣyati: will do/perform
• kariṣyati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Maheśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solitary practitioner sits in concentrated meditation, visualizing an adversary in the heart-lotus; beside him are āmalakī fruits and a small bowl of powdered unguent/impurity, suggesting a secretive rite performed at dusk.

Characters & Entities

• Dhātrī (Āmalakī)
• Śatru (enemy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text links concentrated intent (inner fixation) with ritual substance and method, portraying mind and rite as jointly operative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not identified in the provided excerpt; it remains within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A mohana procedure involving contemplation of the enemy and the use of udvartana residue together with dhātrī fruits.